Patients with life-limiting illnesses avoid unnecessary hospital admission

Patients with life-limiting illnesses avoid unnecessary hospital admission

Harrow Giving granted a fund to St Luke’s Hospice, operating a Single Point of Access advice and information service known as St Luke’s Palliative Helpline and a carer kit.

The service provided essential support to the London Ambulance Service (caring for Harrow Residents). It enabled over 95% of Harrow based patients (with life-limiting illnesses) to remain in their preferred place of care and avoid unnecessary hospital admission. The helpline experienced a 100% surge in demand during Covid, with rapid response visits providing nursing care within 24 hours of a request, delivered in patients’ homes up to 4 times a day.

Patients grateful for this service have expressed:

“My mother, who has been shielding, has terminal cancer and is receiving palliative chemotherapy. It has been extremely difficult trying to protect both my parents during COVID 19. We found ourselves in a tricky situation when my mother was prescribed medication from the oncology.”

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the hospital staff could not demonstrate how to administer the medication to my father and were advised to visit their GP for help. However, understandably, they had reservations about attending a busy GP practice. I discovered St Luke’s Hospice offered online video resources.

– one video demonstrated how to administer medication via injection. I emailed the video to my dad, and his was response was: “Oh, that’s easy!” and he’s successfully delivered the medication!

The resource provided by St Luke’s not only saved healthcare resource, but it empowered my parents and helped keep them safe and well at home. My family are all so grateful to St Luke’s Hospice for sharing the video.”

“My grandmother, who has cancer, was in her final stages. We wanted her son from Switzerland to come and spend some precious time with her before she slipped away peacefully.

Through using the Carer kit when he visited us in London, he described it as “an effective and beneficial goody bag.” It is one of the best kits I have ever come across in terms of protection and somewhat generous as it had a big bottle of hand sanitiser. It had everything to keep him safe whilst visiting us. I think this kit needs to be promoted not just to hospices but other sectors. Thank you for giving us this kit; it really helped us.”

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